The People That Taught Me
by BloodInkLilacQuill
Summary: A tale of heartache, loss, death and finding home. Only three hours old I became an orphan, it would be two days before my cries were listened to and I was found next to my mother's corpse. This is my story from that day to my death only a few years later
1. The Night Lady That Taught Me

**ok, so this is a story that just kinda came to me bit by bit, I've been writing it for over four years just little snippets here and there that refused to go away until they were written. I sincerely hope you like them though ;)  
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><p><span>The Night Lady That Taught Me<span>

My story begins the night I was born, obviously. My father was on the other side of the continent, unknowingly becoming a father, and my mother was dying in child birth. I lay where she put me after cleaning me herself, on the bed right next to her, she wrote out a letter quickly, or as quickly as she could. Somehow we both knew she was leaving this world and she wanted to help me however she could.

She finished the letter with tears in her eyes, put it away from her and pulled me close kissing my furry head tenderly. The bed was a thick blanket on the floor but that night it was the comfiest yet scariest place on earth. Only three hours old I became an orphan, it would be two days before my cries were listened to and I was found next to my mother's corpse.

The letter vanished for many years and I was brought to the closest orphanage by a whore, or as I liked to think of her, a Night Lady named Jade. She would later become the closest thing I had to a mother figure.

As I grew up, the orphanage put me to work, starting off at chores that I succeeded all expectations and soon after as an apprentice at many different careers. I was also educated not by the orphanage but Jade, she put me through school, taught me to read and write and nursed any wounds I recieved during the day. She could not make my life happy or safe but the few hours a day I spent with her were the safest I knew.

When I was six the orphanage burned to the ground, some older kid got upset he lost his apprenticeship, he made us all homeless as the orphanages only accepted babies, keeping children as they grew, that was different but taking in children... it wasn't ever done and so I lived on the streets curling with other children in the bitterest of nights and otherwise avoiding all that I did not know, I learned quickly that the streets were full of cheats and cons, people that would do bad things just to do bad things.

Jade took me in rarely but whenever she could, her work being at night, and her home being a single room. She refused to allow me in when she had a client, she said she learned as a child, that it was not appropriate at all for me to witness. She also continued to pay for my education, insisting that I would become something different.

When I finished the highest education a girl could get, at the age of twelve, Jade gave me my mother's letter, she could not read but she had felt it might be important, but then it might also be a shopping list for all she knew, for this reason the letter was a little rat bitten and crumpled, not as taken care of as it would have been had she have known it's importance. It was written in a different language but there were three words I knew and recognized.

Jade was also the only one to give me a name, she called me 'Animal' because I was a lot like a wild animal, skittish but always surviving. Everyone else called me, well nothing, I went along unnoticed in that way, somehow people never really used names in the city they'd say 'pass me that' but never use a name, or please for that matter.

'To the fair folk' inscribed at the very top, 'to the' being one word of course. I could not do anything for a long time, months long, and for a kid that's a lot. But I was gifted with a beautiful voice and for this put to work in a tavern as a singer. On my third night at work I came across three fair folk.

"Hello fair folk." I said with a curtsy. I got their attention a bit too quickly, being used to being ignored it set me off guard and I began to studder, not even half words just weird noises, so instead of talking I passed the one closest to me the letter. He took it curiously and unfurled it, then flipped it over, I gave it to him upside-down by mistake. His eyes scanned side to side as he read it and I quite lost my nerve, I ran out, zigzagging through the crowd as though expecting them to chase me out.

I ran all the way across town, taking allies and short cuts no one knew about accept those few that had lived here all their lives. When I was sure, absolutely sure I had lost them I curled up under some garbage and went to sleep. A week later I went back to the tavern, starved and frost bitten. I learned that the three fair folk had run off as soon as they read the letter and not returned since. I began to sing again, getting my dinner as payment. Months went by and I soon forgot about the letter and the three fair folk.

I continued to listen to news about them though, it was like a growing excitement, every time I heard about them, as though I just knew something was coming. The night came when Jade summoned me early from work, something she had never done before. I raced to find her, she was in her home, her room. A client I suppose, had pulled a knife on her and she didn't think she would make it. I sat with her all night, only turning away to tell clients that she was not having business that night, none argued.

She died in the early morning. I was heartbroken, without the money to pay for a burial she was dumped into the river by her landlord but I wasn't finished morning, I wasn't ready to see her go. I followed her corpse down the river, sobbing and running into people without a care.

Jade always told me that I was like a wild animal, that I was far too skittish and untrusting, perhaps that was for the best. Who would help me know who to be now? I followed her right out of the city and into the forest beyond, as the river sped up, I sped up and soon I was running to keep up, still the river sped up and I could go no faster, I tried though, so hard did I try, sticks and stones cut the soles of my bare feet, and still she was getting further and further away.

When I could see her no more, I stopped then, blinded by my tears and somehow glad my feet hurt as much as my heart did. I sat down and cried a river but despite my loud wails I heard it, my animal senses picked it up, the snap of a movement. I looked up and around, ready to battle, ready to run, ready to claw whatever-it-was's eyes out.

When nothing moved I wiped my eyes and stood up. Something was out there and if it hadn't moved yet, that ment it had seen me already. I looked around, turning in circles searching for a sign.

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><p><strong>The next chapter will be up sometime this week, if you people like the story, if not than probably never I dunno. Thanks for reading and have a great day!<br>**


	2. The Stranger That Taught Me

**I hope you enjoy this new chapter ;)**

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><p><span>The Stranger That Taught Me<span>

"Fare maiden, what ails you?" I leapt back at the man's sudden voice, so far that I fell back into the river that had carried Jade away. I struggled to do something, my mind wouldn't make its mind up, get to the shore or stay afloat? I went under twice before arms wrapped around me and brought me above the water. And still I struggled, I struggled against him, I struggled against the stupid river that couldn't stop running for just one day for me, I struggled against being saved, how dare he! His arms held strong though and he made it quickly to the shore without trouble.

He put me down gently and in return I kicked him in the shins. He grunted but didn't say anything. I had hoped he would collapse so I could run but no, he just turned away from me, pulling off his now soaked cloak. I watched him, he had darker hair but the moves of a fare folk. I turned and padded off, not quite able to stay stealthy due to my feet which to my horror lead bloody foot prints directly to my position.

"What's this a runaway?" I was nearly grabbed as a man stepped out of the thick forestry and snapped a hand out to grab me. Panicked I ran as far and fast as I could away, I couldn't get very far before my feet were too painful to use anymore and so I hid under a rotted log and waited.

I could hear my own breaths, they sounded as loud as a birds screech, but it wasn't nearly as loud as my heart pounding in my ears. I waited listening, to my heart to my breathing, trying to calm myself in the false hopes that they wouldn't be able to find me. My heart began to slow and I became aware I was shaking, I could hear myself shaking from head to toe, feel the cold sweat of fear, the tears now tears of fear.

"Your scared little one," said a voice from above the log, he sounded like he was crouching on the log right above her. "Will you come out if I promise you I will not let you come to harm?"

"What good is the word of a man?" I asked, my voice shaking.

"Fare enough, Ill earn your trust then, I guess saving you wasn't good enough? I wouldn't think so either since I was the one to cause it." He said answering himself, this made her smile, she'd never heard anyone talk like he did, or speak to her like he did. "So what were you doing out here, so upset, was it so horrible?"

"My only friend in the world died last night, I couldn't afford a burial so she was thrown in the river." I said, surprising myself with how much I was sharing with this man. I have never talked to a man like this before, answered questions curtly and quickly yes but never actually talked. "I didn't get time to say goodbye." That wasn't exactly true I would realize later on but at that moment it was as true as fact, right then it felt as though that goodbye I would never get to say was like a poison that would kill me very soon.

"Well then I am glad, it is how I came to find you." He said, "if I leave, will you be here when I get back?"

I looked down at my feet, swollen, dirty and bloody. "Seems I have no choice sir."

"Excellent, I will return." He said, he jumped down behind me somewhere, with no alternative I waited. I did not have to wait long, perhaps an hour or two, I fell asleep and was awoken by the voice again. "I have returned, should I let you sleep?"

I licked my dry lips, my tongue was so dry it stuck to my lips in the attempt so I brought it back into my dry mouth and instead answered. "No, I'm ok."

"Are you still bleeding little one?" He asked, concern in his voice.

"I don't know it's too dark down here." I answered honestly.

"Well why don't you come out, I promise you won't be touched." He said.

Fear hit me then, he didn't say he wouldn't touch her, he said she wouldn't be touched, that ment there were others out there. "How... How many people are out there?" I asked curling into a tight ball fearing hands would appear from all sides trying to grab me.

"If you would like, it can be just you and me," he said. I nodded and somehow he must have known my answer because his next words were "We are alone now, please come out."

"No tricks?" I asked uncurling myself hesitantly.

"No tricks." He stated. I crawled out with my arms and looked above me but he wasn't there this time. I pulled my legs out and looked around.

"Here child," he called, I looked where his voice had come from, he stood directly in front of the hole, that's probably how he had known I was asleep, and yet he had not attacked me in my sleep or tried to force my coming out. He was quickly turning into my favourite person in the world. "Can you walk?" He asked crouching down, he was more then fifteen feet away but he stayed low as though I were an animal he did not want to frighten again.

I nodded and scrambled to my feet as proof and stood in front of him, not ready to bolt though, I knew that would be useless but he did not seem to want to hurt me. He moved to the side and revealed Jade, laying peaceful on the cold hard ground, red fall leaves had fallen all around, befitting since red was her favourite colour. He had even dug a hole to bury her in, though I saw no shovel around.

I limped forward, it seemed a conscious effort for him to not help me but he stayed where he was. In front of him, I said my goodbyes, he helped in many ways and didn't even give a look when I brought up her occupation. When I was done he came forward and held my hand, it was the best contact I could have wished for and I held onto it like a lifeline. All the same if he had gone any closer I would have bolted again, he seemed to sense this too.

"What do I do now?" I asked turning to him, he lead me away from her and to a soft bed of branches. I sat down as he directed, though he didn't speak, he then took my feet and proceeded to clean them, he seemed to know what he was doing, he even bandaged them and gave me boots to wear.

"What do I do now?" I asked again as he bandaged the last foot. He gently put the foot down and looked at me.

"Return to my home with me, I will take care of you." He said, his face told me he was serious, I looked down, not sure what to do, not sure how to accept or decline not sure how to make the decision.

"I have nothing back there, but I know it," I said, "what if I go with you and it's even worse then there." I said looking back to where I thought the city was, he nodded understanding.

"Sometimes you need to give something a try, may be you will love it, may be you will hate it, you don't know until you try." He booted the last foot and helped me to my feet.

"Ok, Ill go with you on one condition," I said looking up at him. "Never hurt me, I don't want to be hurt anymore, no heart ache no pain uncalled for, nothing."

"If I can prevent it, -and you heed my advice,- I will, its a deal." We shook on it and then he took me back to his home.

It took a month to get there, I rode a horse for the first time and everyone was ordered not to talk to me, not to touch me unless I began the conversation or contact. And mostly during the trip I stayed to myself, I tried to break out of the shell, once late at night while the fire crackled and most of everybody sat quietly chatting around it, I got up and went over the the man. I picked up a handful of dirt and scatters it in the wind, if he were only lightly sleeping the sand would wake him but he remained asleep, albeit with his eyes open. He didn't even flinch, I curled in next to him and closed my eyes.

Before I fell asleep I asked in as soft a voice as I could, "what's your name?"

I could swear he answered but I was already sound asleep. I woke early and went back to my bed roll to continue sleeping. This went on for several nights until I became aware that the others knew of what I was doing and so I could not do it anymore. But no longer could I sleep on my own and feel safe either, in these strange lands with even stranger animals I felt more unsafe than ever. Every noise I heard I was up and shaking. To which someone would say something like 'rabbit' or 'owl', I did not recognize any of these animals and so their explanation did nothing to help me.

When we next set up camp I set up my blanket right next to his, slowly as the night progressed I moved towards him, hoping to be as inconspicuous as possible. The next morning I was horrified to wake up to being the last one up. Everyone else was already up, chatting and talking away. I quickly rolled the bedding up and stashed it where it belonged and stood ready to go along with them.

"Are you sleeping alright?" He asked.

"Yes Sir," I responded quickly. He gave me a strange look, as though he knew I was lying to him and wouldn't stand for it, I gave in.

"Sir, what's a rabbit? Does it eat human flesh? Does an owl tear hearts out of newborns and laugh?" I asked, terrified, I looked around for any signs of the beasts that would surely eat me alive, but all was clear just then no monsters to be found.

"Poor child, a rabbit would never attack anybody, they are harmless and fluffy, a lot of young girls keep them as pets because they are so cuddly. And an owl is the symbol of wisdome, its a bird that feeds only on the smallest of other animals, they never eat people."

"Oh," I said, red faced. To their credit no one laughed. Though I'm sure most wanted to. He travelled with at least twenty others, I came to think of them as the part crew, always around him and yet hard to see all at one time unless we were going across a clearing.

Despite being on different horses I stayed as close to him as possible, I tried to respond to the others, smile at jokes that I didn't get, but somehow a smile just never came across my face, despite my worst efforts. I feared perhaps that I had been miserable so long that I'd forgotten how to smile, how to not flinch when someone other then him came over to touch me or even came near. I knew they were whispering things about me, things about those that had raised me.

"How do you know a_ person_ raised me?" I asked laughing, or trying to it came out like a bunch of huffs as though I were out of breath and so I stopped the embarrassing attempt half way. They didn't get the joke, the truth, just stared at me as though I were a three eyed monster. "I thought that'd be funny..." I ran back to his side and didn't leave it again, those people were just too weird.

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><p><strong>You seemed to respond to the last chapter so I decided to post the next chapter. Chapter 3 will be up sometime this week, if you people like the story, if not than probably never I dunno. Thanks for reading and have a great day!<br>**


	3. The Father That Taught Me

**I hope you enjoy this new chapter ;) I also have a question, I recently recieved criticism by a fellow author that my work is not spaced out enough but several professors and graduates of university say my writing is just fine in that department, what do you think?  
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><p><span>The Father That Taught Me<span>

I didn't leave his side again until weeks later when we arrived. The place was beautiful, breathtakingly so, with beautiful dwellings carved out of the cliffs and a waterfall cascading down, I blush to use such foreign words and yet, my own words are not enough to describe the sight that was the first and only sight to take my breath away I watched with wonder as we approached, the stone was not like any stone I had ever seen, not a cold lifeless gray but a warm salmon or golden color. There were trees too, all around and somehow they looked enchanting and beautiful. A rainbow appeared over the waterfall, I'd never seen one before but I recognized it all the same.

As we approached I grew anxious, I wanted to see as much as possible but would the people be nice?

"Child, do you remember what I told you?" He asked.

I blinked up at him, despite my horse being just slightly taller then his own he was still vastly taller then me, the sun shown above his head, blocking his image and for an instant I feared I had forgotten what he looked like and would never recognize him in the swarm of people bound to call such a beautiful place home.

"Child?" He asked again.

"When?" I asked back, when had he ever talked to me? Was I not paying attention? Had I ignored him?

"About your father," he said, prompting my memory, when he saw no recognition he blinked.

"I've forgotten sir," I said truthfully pulling out of his hand's grasp and somehow slowing the horse. His horse stopped as well and turned to me.

"We are going to meet your father little one, his name is Elladan, he is my son and he could not come to find you himself because he broke his foot the week we were informed of you." Said the man.

"Elladan his son, Elladan his son..." I repeated, trying to remember.

"And your father," he said, catching that that bit of information had gone over my head. I froze, the horse kept going cruelly onward.

The horses kept going forward right into the heart of the place with a courtyard and a beautiful fountain. He got off his horse and helped me off the one I rode.

When all were dismounted we went ahead, on the steps were three people, two of which looked alike and one of which was female. They came forward until the bottom step, as though there was a boundary on the last step. He went forward and hugged each one in turn before turning to me.

"This is your father little one." He said to me gesturing to one of the three. He turned to the middle child, the man, though I suppose that went unsaid, and spoke to him as well, "she has not uttered her name as of yet, you will have to ask her."

"Girl what is your name?" He asked looking down at me, unlike he who found me, he did not bend on one knee or attempt to come eye level to me, I hadn't noticed but this really made a difference, they may have resembled each other but I was more comfortable with his father, he made me nervous.

"Girl?" He asked bringing me out of my revery, he stepped off the stair and I stepped back. He stepped forward again and I stepped back again, seeing this would not end until I answered I thought hard on his last question, already forgotten.

"Your father called my Child, Jade called me Animal," I said quickly, he stopped approaching me.

"Those names won't do," he said with decision, I skirted around him, I did not like how many other people there were as though this were some historical event, people in windows the party crowd on horses, groups of people just standing around for no reason other then to watch.

"Girl sounds nice," I added.

"That won't do either," he said again.

"I am a girl, I don't think another name will be me though, and who would use it?" I said with that strange out of breath laugh, I cut it short and pretended it was a light cough to clear my throat.

"Who is Jade?" He asked changing the subject when he saw my discomfort, or perhaps it was decided, I didn't know.

"A dead Night Lady sir," I answered, truthfully.

"And what is a Night Lady little one?" He asked.

"Prostitute sir," I said, there were gasps but I did not understand why, surely they all understood one had to work to live?

"Well perhaps she called you Animal because she didn't know any better." He said loudly.

"No, she called me Animal because like an Animal, I survive any way I can, I earned the name sir." I corrected him, getting mad, she was the smartest women I ever knew and yet he insulted her, why?

"I see," he said, though I doubted he did.

"She was my favourite person in the world, I wish you'd have met her, she was always surrounded by men, just talking to her." I said, he must have misunderstood because he blushed and his father took over.

"Perhaps we should release the topic of Jade, for now."

"I heard word your mother is dead," he said, starting anew.

"I can't say the same of you, I only recently learned you had a father." I said as clearly as I could he didn't get it, no one did.

"My mother is dead as well," he said, "You resemble her, your hair, eyes..."

Not sure how to reply I went back to his father's topic. "Well, at least it wasn't your father, where I come from everyone has a parent that's dead, or even both parents." I said carefully, aware that my humour quite went over everyone's heads.

"Its not so common here." He said cutting that possible conversation short, it usually got a good response bringing that up, back at the city it usually entailed hours of naming off names trying to find that one mysterious person with both parents alive and well.

"So you have any kids?" I asked feeling more comfortable to talk now but not realizing it until later.

"Just one," he answered.

"Oh really, who's that?" I asked curious, imagining a brother or sister.

"You," he said a bit coldly.

"Oh right," I added looking down, out of conversation starters.

Months went by, just as awkwardly I stayed near my grandfather, avoided all conversation and began to dread seeing my father who seemed awekward and strange around me.

Every night I was reminded that I'd been given my own room but every night I refused the room that was so alone and scary. I slept in Grandfather's bed and tried daily to not disappoint him.

Still every night grandfather would come into his room, to see me. "Let us play a game child," he would say, for I hadn't a name yet. "Let us pretend you are a confidant happy child who wants nothing more then to sleep in her own room tonight."

And every night I would look up at him, tears in my eyes that couldn't be helped and I would say, "I'm not ready for games yet," and he would nod and get in the bed beside me, robes and all, I would hold play with the embroidery on the collar until sleep claimed me.

It seemed I was always upsetting my father, with everything I said, any description on my past life caused him unhappiness, every thought I voiced, every flinch when caught unexpected, he was always leaving shortly after comming up to me, despite my best efforts. I tried copying ladies I overheard, the way they spoke, what they spoke of but it didn't ever help because he seemed determined to bring up every topic that upset him, and I couldn't lie, could I?

Finally he seemed to gather the courage to ask, "So who, besides the Jade person, raised you? What was your home like?" He asked these questions in private on a deserted balcony.

"No one else, just her, I couldn't stay with her because of her guests at night, so I stayed in alleys mostly, out of peoples way." I said.

"You slept in alleyways?" He said, I felt I'd used the wrong word somewhere so I nodded mutely. He jumped to his feet and walked back and fourth four times before shaking his head. "No, this won't do." He left then, hurriedly I jumped to my feet and followed him.

"Where..." I wanted to ask where he was going in such a hurry, I wanted to ask him to stop, tell him to stop being so upset, the past was the past. I followed him into a stall of horses all white and pretty, one even had blue eyes oddly enough. He rode out on his horse a moment later, leaving me in the horse's dust.

"What just happened?" I asked the blue eyed horse, it stomped in answer.

Four months went by without sight of him, I lamented the lost opportunity of being named, I had sort of grown warm to the idea. When news struck that he was now missing I was devastated but I didn't show it, some things you must keep to yourself.

But grandfather knew, he always knew.

"Is it so bad I forget what he looks like?" I asked him in a whisper one morning. He sat up, picked me up and strode us both out and into his other son's room, I didn't get it.

Grandfather spoke only to me, ignoring the other two occupants of the room. "You cannot forget what he looks like, get her out of here." The women in my uncles bed left faster then I'd seen some run for their lives.

"I don't understand," I said truthfully.

"My child, they are twins one face is identical to the other and so you can never forget what your father looked like, because you see his appearance everyday." I looked at my uncle, who merely sat in the bed as though this were a normal occurrence, perhaps it was. I don't remember my first meeting with my father anymore, but I made sure to write down that his identical twin was my uncle, and that his appearance was the same as my father's.

It was the next day, or seemingly so for time was quite different at Grandfather's, that I got up and ran down the stairs to sit with Grandfather, a traveler sat with us amongst the few others who I did not know but always sat with us, he had come in late last night so we had not been introduced. He ignored me and I ignored him as I picked through the fruit basket looking for my favourite, peaches, the peaches here were so sweet and juicy I ate peaches every morning for breakfast.

Uncle came down and sat at Grandfather's other side but before addressing him I had to find my peach, the kitchen person always had a special peach just for me in there.

"It appears someone took the peach this morning." Uncle said, I looked up and around, who would take my peach? The traveler bit into the peach right then, splashing its juice all the way to me or so I felt it had. I blinked and wiped my face off of the imaginary juice there and sat down.

"I saw a man like you," the traveler said looking at uncle. "I was certain he had died." All movement at the table stopped. "He slaughtered a city up in the north west, in his child's name." He threw the half eaten peach into an empty bowl for the pit's and peels from the fruit and wiped his mouth off. "Must have been a mistake though, since you are in fact standing right here."

"Its your fault he died, you kept telling him about your poor miserable life back there, its your fault!" A lady cried out, suddenly before I had even registered the news, mulled it over, it not being her ad her petty words but the death of my father. I asked myself what it ment to me, was I hurt? I got none of these questions out in thought before I was interrupted.

I looked at her I tried to think of her words once more as petty and... hurtful... I was stunned, hurt, like a knife had just been driven through my very soul, I looked around, sullen faces looked back at me.

Grandfather then came to my aid but the damage for me was done I walked forward and slapped her one, hard. She fell to the ground and it gave me a little satisfaction, but not nearly enough, I wanted to break something, trash something. I wanted to burn something, I began to cry. How dare he die when I never asked him to? How dare he do something so horrendous in my name? I pretended those tears did not exist and I left, I left the room I left the whole place and went to the one room I was always safe in.

Grandfather came into his room soon after I went there, he must have been mourning to but he didn't show it. His eyes were a bit red but otherwise... He came in with a tea tray and set it on the bed.

"Did he really go because of me?" I asked from beneath the covers.

"If you truly believed that you wouldn't have hit her." He said sadly, though I suspected not because I had hit her.  
>"I hit her because her words hurt me," I said my mouth muffled by the blankets as I sat up, my knees to my chest with my arms locking around my legs.<br>He sighed, "he did what he believed was right, always. There was no way to deter him, no way to change his mind, once he got it into his head there was an injustice, nothing stopped him"

"I really wish he hadn't died," I tried to voice that one little sentence, but the words wouldn't come.

"I do not mean to give false hope, but sometimes, rarely, scouts are wrong especialy those that didn't catch a very good look at the time." My heart filled with false hope, I looked up to read his expression which looked back at me and gave nothing away.  
>"Would this be one of those times, please!" I begged him as though he had the power to make it so.<br>"I cannot say," he said.  
>"Yes you can, somehow I know you can, just a few words and he'll come home any day now!" I said hopefully. He shook his head.<p>

I lay down and went to sleep soon after.

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><p><strong>This story is completed, I think I should mention that, completely completed Im just putting one story up at a time, I have four works, two of which are nearly if not completed and the other two are going pretty strong so it may be a while before another upload, like a week or so, depending on reviews. Stories with more reviews get priority, that's just the way it is. <strong>

**Anyway, Im still thinking about posting the rest, should I, shouldn't I? Im not sure, it's all done but I dunno and this has nothing to do with reviews, Im just still not sure if I should post the rest or put more time into another of my projects. In any case the next thing I take care of is going to be my final chapter to Impossibly misguided**

**And then Ill see about this story.  
><strong>


	4. The Orc That Taught Me Part 1

**Here it is, part two will be up sometimes later, I hope you enjoy ;)**

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><p><span>The Orc That Taught Me<span>

I ate peaceably, the table was outside today and full of many fruits, there was a special small basket full of peaches just for me I was told. My favorite, I ate in contented silence.

"Hey look what the wife gave me." I jumped at the booming unfamiliar voice from behind me but before I could calm my heart-rate or even take my bearings, a loud 'clack' sounded as the person seemingly deliberately whacked a belt across the table seemingly mere inches from me then left it there. I was out of the chair in a panic before even my ears could stop ringing from the intrusion.

He was closer than I thought. He grabbed my arm as I fell in a scramble and I launched myself at him and bit with all my might. He yelped and it was a combined effort of his shove and my leap away from him that sent me crashing into another guy from behind, the person grabbed my shoulders and I attacked without looking, making both a fist to his nose and scraping my boot against his shin. I was spun around to face the second attacker, only to face grandfather. My hand went straight to my lips, I saw blood, he was bleeding, I'd probably broken his nose or something.

"Im sorry!" I turned and ran away, no one tried to stop me, as all wanted to aid the bleeding lord of the house.  
>"She bit me!" Came a whine.<p>

I ran and ran and ran, then I hid in a dark and small space in the back of a closet. I was never coming out I decided.  
>I was going to stay in here forever and ever, even if that meant starving to death.<p>

An hour later I was hungry, I had barely even touched my breakfast before the incident. My stomach rumbled loudly and I wondered if perhaps it might be night time yet so I would sneak to the kitchen, then Id run away, yes a much better plan than starving, I told herself.

I crawled out of the closet as best I could in the skirts I wore. All was quiet, it was about dinner hour so no one was in site. My stomach rumbled loudly and I had to use the girlies room -badly.

I raced down the hall and around the corner, only to scramble back the way I'd come. Uncle and Grandfather, and their Party Crowd of guards were standing in what could have been a crowded hall if you didn't know that every one of them -excluding my grandfather and Uncle were actually personal guards. I looked wildly around then dove into the closest room, praying it was free. I scanned the room but didn't see anybody, still my heart sank, it was the boardroom, which they were definitely making their way to right now.

"My you look just like her." I jumped and if not for a slithery icy hand over my mouth I would have given away my position. I turned to the stranger. Being pre-adult I didn't naturally think people were 'hot' or 'sexy' but this man was pleasent to look at. He was as tall as my uncle and had the same stark, chiseled look with the high cheek-bones and pointed girly-chin but his hair was midnight black and his eyes, not that pleasant blue but instead a vibrant yellow that reminded me of the saying 'bird of prey'. His complexion was porcalen and his lips, more of a slash than anything.

"Like who?" I asked, still mindful that I was avoiding the people about to enter this very room. His eyes looked behind me then back to mine, I turned and saw a portrait of my grandmother in her youth. I'd never met her, no one spoke of her but certainly she seemed at home in her white gown of lace, non clumsy and self-assured. The polar opposite of myself.

"She was a lady through and through, such a sad fate." I turned back to him, his face was unchanged, so much so I wondered how exactly he had spoken.  
>"How do you know of her? No one speaks of her, no one ever mentions her."<br>"I was there." I wondered what he was there for, when she died? I took in that he was an elf from his very presence, her birth perhaps? Wait wasn't she an elf to? The portrait was hard to tell.  
>"There for what?" I asked.<br>"Everything." He said. I tired of his riddles right then, and the urge to find that private room was getting more and more urgent.  
>"Why are you here?" I asked grudgingly, he was likely waiting for grandfather and uncle I knew but I was hoping he'd tell me to mind it and shoo me out of the room.<br>Instead he looked piercingly at me. "Why are you here?"  
>"I ticked off the lord of the house, her husband." I jerked a finger behind me at the portrait. "Now he wants to kill me for attacking him but it was an accident! He might even send me away for good." I mumbled the last part though he caught it just the same I was sure.<br>"Im here to speak to her husband and son's actually. So you won't have to worry about his beatings." He said calmly.  
>"He would never beat me, he's never even struck me before." I clarified.<br>"He seems a good man, I suspected he was, I did him a terrible wrong but Im going to make it right." He said  
>"He's not the forgiving type, I mean he forgives, but he also makes you feel so bad about what you've done." She said.<p>

He laughed. "All the same, a forgiver or not, Im going to have to be killing him when he enters." The assassin (as I now began to understand him as) said. I blinked at him, why on Earth would he tell me that? It hit me quicker then my reflexes could hide it, he meant to kill me anyway.

He seemed to read my thoughts as he put both hands in front of him, in plain view to show they were empty. "Now girl you stay quiet and I won't have to, just get under the table." I dove under the table so fast I skinned my knees and scraped my back on the bottom of the tabletop. I squeezed my eyes against the painful burning but once I opened them, I wished I hadn't. A dead gaurd lay on his back, eyes wide open and dried out, it wasn't clear exactly how he was dead but he looked it. I saw the back room door open and the elf was on it in a single prance, there was a soft 'thud' and that was it, I ran out the front door, right into a gaurd so hard I fell back against the door, just managing to slam it shut.

"There you are! About this morning-" Said grandfather coming forward.  
>"Lets play a game!" I said cutting him off. "Lets tell a story where..." I faltered slightly, I swore I could hear the orcs breathing behind the door. "Lets say there is an orcish assassin in the room ready to kill you when you enter and for unknown reasons he seems to know your wife intimately well."<p>

He paled, they all did, then he came forward and struck me across the face. Not hard by any means but for reasons unknown it hurt worse than anything I had ever had to endure before. Tears welled up in my eyes and without thinking I ran back through the door and right into the assassin. For a moment all was still, I could not stop myself from sobbing into the assassins' robes and he seemed stalk still. Aside from the sobs that refused to stop escaping me, my thoughts raced.

I thought of the assassin, why had he not struck me down yet? To the disappointed faces all around him, I told myself quickly that I did not care about the strike, and it was true I did not, what really hurt was that I had tried so hard not to disappoint anybody, I had really tried, or had I? I had been such a nuisance, I had tried -yes- but I could tell it was not enough.

I still couldn't sleep in my own bed, I was constantly jumpy and always beside grandfather, it was the only place I felt safe but what excuse is that? I vowed to redouble my efforts, triple them if necessary, do anything to lesson my strain. If it wasn't to late that is, my thoughts were interrupted by someone opening the door. Immediately soft robes turned into strong arms that spun me around and held me in place, facing the intrusion. It was Uncle, his mouth fell apart for barely an instant before a few words had guards rushing into the room.

I quickly wiped my face off with a handkerchief, it did not help hide that I had been crying though, I knew my eyes were probably red and whenever I cry my skin gets sensitive so my nose was probably even redder and the hand-print, probably very prominent, I wished I could melt into the floor and never return. I closed my eyes and pretended to be doing just that, why not, everyone else had something they were great at, why couldn't my ability be to melt into the earth and stay there?

"One step closer and the kid'll get it." The assassin said. He pressed a blade at my throat, he had probably been holding it to my throat all along, my eyes opened. It was then that I realized I was probably not going to have a chance at tripling my efforts, that I was probably going to be dead soon. Without thinking I tried to step forward but found I was held in place, I panicked, I didn't care if he did manage to cut me, the healers around here were better then any I'd ever seen, I just wanted to get to my grandfather, no matter what it cost. "Girl do you have a death wish?"

"Hold still!" My grandfather shouted, I hadn't even seen him enter but I obeyed without question, I took it as the first of my rejuvenated efforts. My every muscle screamed to struggle to kick chins -anything, just to get out and away but instead I held still.

"Now." Said the assassin. "Assuming you want the kid to live, you are going to do exactly what I say. First off, everyone but the lord of the house and his two sons out of the room, and I want both sons not just the one."


	5. The Orc That Taught Me Part 2

**I was on the fence on part two, I mean no one is really taking an interest in this story and I have some other great stuff coming out, but I figured I'd finish what I started.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><span>The Orc That Taught Me Part 2<span>

"One's away." I mumbled to him.

"Away? Away where?" Cried the assassin a little too upset.  
>"Duno he went missing last month." I said, shocked he really cared about such a minuet detail, considering.<br>"Well that will not do, I need to kill both!" He said.

"To make up for the wrong you did my grandfather before?" I asked, remembering his words earlier. "Or my grandmother, you weren't very clear before."

"Shut up!" The assassin cried loudly. "Does she always talk like this? And she said you never strike her, patients of a saint! I can barely stand it as is, no wonder you broke down." He said, it was not clear whether he was talking directly to my grandfather or not.  
>"You will not be laying one hand on her." Growled my Uncle.<br>"Oops just did, just did again, and again." He was poking the top of my shoulder as he spoke, the growl that came out of my Uncle sounded... inhumane. Not sure how to react I stayed silent, but then, grandfather hated how I was always silent, but I could not think of anything, this triple-effort was going to be hard. He laughed humorlessly. "Get out, all of you." After Uncle, who was the last to leave, stepped out of the door-jam I broke the awekward silence.  
>"You know, I once broke someone's wooden sword once." I spoke carefully, "I tried to make it better by burning all the other wooden swords."<p>

"Yeah, what's you point?" Asked the assassin.  
>"It did not make anything better, only made things worse." I finished, "you see, you can't fix something by destroying even more, it doesn't work like that."<br>"Its not the same thing." The assassin said irritably.  
>"Isn't it? You said you did something wrong, something you regret, obviously or you wouldn't be here but you are here for the wrong reason." At first the memory had just been something that had entered my head but now I saw the connection. "A man that murdered another man cannot go into the other mans house and kill his family, just because he knows he caused the family to mourn, that will only make the problem bigger, much bigger."<br>"What would you suggest I do then? Turn myself over to them, they just want me dead, and not politely either."  
>"Are you afraid your pretty looks will be destroyed? Are they not a little less important than getting rid of that remorse you feel in your chest?" He did not answer minutes seemed to tick by, "Well?" I asked.<br>"Im thinking!" He hissed.  
>"You didn't come here to make it right, you came here to cause more grief!" I said, attempting to pull the hand down once again.<br>"I came to make right!" The assassin announced.  
>"Prove it." I said, daring him.<br>"How will my death, my painful and agonizing death prove anything?" The assassin demanded.  
>"You don't fool me." I said loudly, "you came here to die assassin, you have no false hopes in escaping, that's why you were still in the room after I came back in, its why you chose such a closed-off room to do this in. You could have chosen a time when grandfather was out riding, everyone knows its his favourite pastime but you didn't."<br>"Fine your right." He said shifting his hold on me.

"I am?" Thats all I got out before the man that had been standing behind me suddenly fell. I jumped out of the way as a rush of guards raced into the room seemingly all at once. The orc was quickly arrested and was brought in front of me, or at least I was still in the room. He was promptly questioned by a yelling man.

He admitted he had come to kill the lord of the house and his sons, he hadn't known the second son was away, possibly dead already, but denied he knew anything about the lady of the house. Some faces looked to me like I had been the cruelest person they knew, some sneered in hate. It took all my will power to ask, what had I done wrong? The orc was taken down to the dungeons for questioning. Grandfather looked at me with sad eyes but didn't say anything. Uncle wouldn't even glance my way. I hadn't noticed the alone feeling had ever gone away, until it came back again.

I sat on grandfathers' bed carefully brushing my long silvery hair, wishing it were the colour of my grandfathers', or even my fathers', whitish-silver hair meant one thing to me. That forever you would be doomed to wear white and light colours, and that just wasn't fair. As a young lady I have to wear white anyways but even after marriage I'd still be stuck with light colored clothes to complement my 'coloring'. I pondered the hatred I had for white dresses, considering that perhaps it was more of a control issue, before dismissing the idea. My hatred for the light pastels was well founded I mean you know how easily they get dirty?

"Speaking of dirt." A maid outside the door said loudly, drawing my attention. "I heard the brat-" I had come to realize that was my nickname around the castle gossips. "-was speaking ill of her grandmother, right to her grandfathers' face."  
>"Thats some nerve, and after all he did for her."<p>

I was dumbfounded- I was... floored. I literally fell backwards off the bed, landing with a loud 'thump' that no one came to investigate, thank GOD! I rolled backwards off my back and into a crouch which would have worked splendidly if I hadn't stepped on my many skirts and tripped again, backwards, I crashed into the chair by the small table in quite a mussed heap. After correcting my skirts I stood back up, dusted myself off and strolled to the door. I listened but the maids had long moved on.

Luckily for them, I had half a mind to bite the both of them. How had I insulted anyone, let alone my grandmother? I saved Grandfather's bloody life! Oh the misfortune of being a women! After changing to my bedclothes and hastily re-brushing my hair I dove in the bed just in time for the nightly check-up. Grandfather usually did the night patrol and went to sleep in the bed afterwords, as always assuring me that he had in fact made up a room for me. Tonight however, grandfather did not come, instead it was a lady I didn't recognize in a bright yellow dress that brought out her blue eyes and golden hair. If she had any qualms over the days incidents she certainly didn't show it but neither did she smile or give a friendly gesture. With a head pat and a silent glance my way I was once again alone.

I waited until the maid was sure to be gone then snuck over and opened the door. The hallway was empty all the hallways' were. I padded barefoot down the corridors, once I thought I had heard a noise but it was just the midnight wind ruffling some papers. The dungeon door was easy to find, it looked like a dungeon door, heavy bared and smelly. If it stunk then the dungeon reeked. My eyes watered before I grew accustomed to the offensive smell. The dungeon was freezing and I was quickly lost in the many halls and rooms. I was resigned to call it quits and return in shame to my room when a voice from what I had assumed was a cell spoke.  
>"Well I haven't managed to get him talking... yet. I doubt he knows anything about her, the child was just being dramatic."<br>"Try again tomorrow," her uncles' voice sounded harsh, when wasn't it harsh? But it sounded much harsher then usual.  
>"Yes'sir" I dove behind the cell door just as it opened to allow them through It was only the two of them, Uncle had managed yet again to evade his personal guard or as I liked to think of them as the Party Crowd. I slipped behind them and through the door careful not to touch or slow the door as I left. I know my Uncle is very good with timing, he'd know just exactly how slow or fast the door closed and would investigate upon the slightest provocation.<p>

Once in, I was pitched into darkness, all accept a single light that shown down from the moon, a cell window impossibly high and small from way up above. Sitting, crouched in its light was him.

He looked only lightly beaten though I heard they can glamor which Im told is like putting on an illusion that is close to the truth but changed. His beautiful features were unscathed, despite a cracked and bleeding lip, a fair bruise was showing on his chin and he favored not to move much. I stared at him until he seemed to feel my presence and looked up, his eyes scanned behind me first, as if to see if I were truly alone, then settled onto me.  
>"What is this?" His voice was smooth and silky like velvet to my ears but I knew, this too was an illusion.<br>"Why did you lie?" I asked, trying to keep the warble out of my voice.  
>"I do not know what you are talking about." He moved slightly and the clinks of chains sounded loudly in the room. He moved out of the light and out of view though a glimmer every now and then came from his eyes, much like a cats.<p>

"I heard you mention her, you said I looked like her. You have to tell them I wasn't lieing, they hate me now. I don't even know why." I grumbled the last bit like a little child but I didn't doubt he'd heard it.  
>"Girl do you know what would happen if I told them I knew your mother? I'd be facing much worse than a merciful death, oh they'd see to that."<p>

"Grandmother and... how did you know her?" I asked, it only just occured to me that it was more than unlikely he'd know any of her relatives and still be in front of me now.  
>"How do you think?" Something crashed from behind me, making us both jump, I turned but couldn't see anything, a steady breeze was drifting the room.<p>

"I don't think, Im a girl and Im not supposed to." I replied curtly. "So who was she, was she pretty?"  
>"Im afraid if I answer that I might as well admit knowing her." He said with a caving sigh.<br>I thought about it for a moment. "What if I could get you out of here?" The determination of my voice startled me. Something within me just had to know.  
>"No" Maybe it was a realization he was dead anyway, maybe he'd had the worst already and stopped caring who it was that tortured him or perhaps it was my crestfallen face but in the dark of a cloud over the moon, he sighed heavily. "She was at the same camp I was at, though I never so much as touched her."<br>"What do you mean?" I was confused.  
>He laughed and although it didn't sound evil at all it made me shiver. "Oh little girl you really don't know do you?"<p>

"Every girl deserves to know what happened to their mummy." She wasn't my mom but that detail kept escaping him, and I needed to know what everyone else knew. There was a long pause as he seemed to gather the remains of his energy and thoughts. "Your mother was captured for questioning."  
>"Questioning? What did they ask about and why?" I asked, choosing to not re-mention she was my grandmother, as it seemed he was only telling me out of some warped mother-daughtor moral.<br>He laughed again. "No, here Ill start from the beginning..."

I cried as he finished the story, I used my apron to cry into and wipe my nose. "I should not have warned him." I cried. "I should have let you kill him, how can things ever get better after so much hurt? How can one live on after so much pain?"

He looked distinctly uncomfortable when I could finally see again.  
>"Time." He said gruffly. "Time heals all but a few." He came into the light and his new appearance scared me. Gone were his cat-like yellow eyes, his beautiful long black hair, his pale beautiful complexion, despite the beating he had endured. His skin was droopy and marred, burns, cuts and worse made as if a second coat on his skin. At one point a gaping wound had been sewn shut and despite it being much healed since then, the black unpracticed stitches remained.<p>

A portion of his nose was gone and it looked like he had sewn a flab of skin over it to cover the injury but it left a gaping indent that was just one of the many things I would have nightmares about for the rest of my life. His hair was scraggly at best though retaining the same colour as before. His eyes, I would never be able to describe even the colour of the eyes later on, but the sadness and knowledge, the experience within them, would haunt her forever.

"You saved your father, you did what you had to do. Embrace him and leave, Im sure he has a lot he wishes to discuss with me. Now don't be coming back." I stood up slowly, how much had my grandfather heard? How long had he been standing there, did he hear my wish he had died? Regret pitted itself in my abdomen as I realized just what I had said, just what we had discussed. A history only a family member should have ever discussed with me. It was only when I felt a hand on my shoulder that I finally turned around to face him. His face was hard and if he realized he'd touched me at all he didn't show it. His eyes were straight ahead and a dark colour I never wanted to see again.

I would, later on, wonder at the few scars visible just then, in his usual state he had no scars but just then, every injury he'd ever had, seemed to stand out just lightly on his skin, not many just one at his throat where he'd nearly been slit, another across his cheek, very few others.  
>"Leave." He said it without looking at me, could have been talking to everyone, -and by everyone to my horror he'd brought the party crowd- but I ran out anyway.<p>

I nearly ran right into Uncle and had to seriously swerve to avoid him and his own Party Crowd. I ran on until I hit the bed in grandfathers' room, diving under the covers as though I could pretend I'd been asleep the entire time. I hadn't looked at Uncle's face, I couldn't bring myself to do it, or even anyone else's for that matter.

I never saw the prisoner again, though later that night grandfather came to visit my room, yes finally my room. He told me that he was not cross with me and that in fact he was proud that I had stayed honorable and kept true to myself. When I asked how long he had been standing there he pulled the covers over me, tucked a lock of hair off my face.

"I followed you from my room." He answered.


End file.
